1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing paper and a printer, and more particularly to a printing paper and a method for printing for eliminating, by simple means, margins formed on a printing paper having a standard size.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (hereinafter, xe2x80x9cJP-Axe2x80x9d) No. 5-293794 and the like have proposed means for eliminating margins which are formed on printing papers having standard sizes. This prior art automatically cuts off margins and includes a cutting position controlling mechanism for detecting margins and a paper cutting mechanism for cutting off the detected margins.
Margins are provided on printing papers so that, after an image has been printed on a printing paper by a printer, margins of the printing paper are nipped by a conveying device and the printing paper is thereby conveyed. If, at the time of conveying the printing paper, a portion of a printing paper with an image thereon is nipped, defects may be formed on the image. Therefore, it is preferable to provide margins for nipping.
On the other hand, the reasons for cutting off margins are the following. First, in the case of photographs and the like, for example, white margins may turn yellow with the passage of time, causing the appearance of photographs to deteriorate. Moreover, generally, photographs having no margins are considered to be better in appearance than those having margins.
However, since it is necessary to include a cutting position controlling mechanism and a paper cutting mechanism, the structure of the above prior art is complicated. If these mechanisms are provided within a photographic printer in particular, there is a drawback in that the entire printer becomes large.
In view of the aforementioned, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing paper and a method for printing for eliminating margins of photographs and the like by using a simple structure.
A first aspect of the present invention is a printing paper for forming a print having no margins, comprising: a printing material having at least one printing portion; a base material for supporting the printing material; and an adhesive layer which removably adheres the printing material to the base material, the adhesive layer having substantially no adhesive strength remaining on the at least one printing portion after the at least one printing portion is detached from the printing material, wherein the at least one printing portion is detached from the printing material so as to be formed as at least one print.
A second aspect of the present invention is a printing paper for forming a print having no margins, comprising: a printing material having at least one printing portion; a base material for supporting the printing material; and an adhesive layer which removably adheres the printing material to the base material, the adhesive layer having an adhesive strength with respect to the printing material relatively smaller than an adhesive strength with respect to the base material, wherein the at least one printing portion is detached from the printing material so as to be formed as at least one print.
A third aspect of the present invention is a method for printing an image on a printing paper by a printer, comprising the steps of: accommodating a printing paper in an accommodating portion; conveying the printing paper from the accommodating portion to a recording device by a conveying device by nipping margins of the printing paper; printing an image on the printing paper by the recording device; conveying the printing paper from the recording device to a discharging portion by the conveying device by nipping margins of the printing paper; and discharging the printing paper with an image printed thereon to the discharging portion, wherein the printing paper includes at least one printing portion and the margins, and a print is formed by detaching the at least one printing portion from the printing paper after the printing paper with an image printed thereon is discharged to the discharging portion.
In accordance with the present invention, after printing processing has been carried out on a printing portion of a printing material, the printing portion is detached from the printing material, and a print having no margins is thereby formed. Therefore, a cutting position controlling mechanism and a paper cutting mechanism as used in the prior art are not necessary, and the structure of the printer is thereby made simple. In other words, in accordance with the present invention, since margins can be eliminated by using a simple structure, photographic printers and the like in particular can be made compact.